The Lives They Lived

Hi everyone (aka the two people that are probably reading this)!

I have arrived home about a week ago, and have been playing lazy all around the house, cooking delicious food and working a few hours at the daycare.  In the coming weeks, I return to Ripon as a student for my last semester, and move back to the sorority floor (I better prepare myself for formal recruitment)!

I spent my first Christmas without my family this year.  My Mom and brother went up to Canada to visit with my extended family, and I had to stay behind because of the loss of my green card while I was up visiting Andie during the summertime.  I have since paid to replace it, gotten my biometrics done, but still have not received the card in the mail.  Immigration, while necessary is probably one of the most irritating and complicated government departments ever.  Let's hope that it arrives soon so that I can go visit my grandmother before I return to Ripon.  I went over to Kirsten's house for Christmas dinner and it was really nice, and I sure left so full that I felt like I was going to be in elastic waist pants for the rest of my life.

I am trying to decide whether or not to return to Chicago for a weekend before I head back to Ripon.  A huge part of me really wants to go, and do stuff like ride the el and walk down Michigan Avenue - but another part of me doesn't want to go at all.  I love the city, and miss it a lot but I don't really know if I actually have any reasons to visit.  I guess that it mostly depends on the difference between plane ticket prices going to Milwaukee or Chicago.

Here's a really interesting set of obituaries edited by Ira Glass (my favorite human being. ever.)  Like the radio show that he hosts, these obituaries are stories from the lives of the people who had passed away in the last year.  The Lives They Lived, edited by Ira Glass.  These made me tear up, and they are a beautiful way to remember people that have died.

Happy Christmas and YAYYY for the New Year!
Roberta

hope = time is on my side
hope = enjoying my future
fear = graduation

Jam of the Day

Is Being a Lush a Phase?

Brain = do nothing ever
Heart = do everything possible
Not attainable = somewhere in the middle


I was seriously tempted to call my mom today to ask if I would grow out of my personality which has existed since birth:

• Sweatpants/leggings are always an acceptable solution to pants
• Jeans are stupid
• Red wine is fun on Sundays
• I only like doing fun things, and dread doing anything boring, or seemingly useless
• Bed is perhaps the best place that I could ever be in the world
• Being comfortable is the best thing ever, nothing beats it.
• Eating good food is pretty good too
• Going to a paradise where I can do all of these things and somehow miraculously survive without heaps of student loans would be pretty great
• Oh, and maybe some free love gobbildy-gook (is there a proper way to spell this?)

I hope it's kind of a phase because I know there will be a day when I have to wear business casual clothes, not drink wine on Sundays, and I will have to get out of bed at an early hour every day.  For now, I will just hope that day never comes.

I know you see me looking up, because I know you're looking down right now

Hey y'all (aka the two people who probably read this),

I haven't written in a few weeks, that's because I have been really busy the last few days.  Well, since I last wrote I have had a few really cool things happen.  I visited the Graceland Cemetary with Jordan, Scott and Charles - and saw the graves of some of Chicago's most famous residents, like Burnham and Palmer.  Awesome!  I also saw Paul Simon live, which was pretty fucking awesome.  He played every song I wanted him to play, and jammed out like it was Louisiana - needless to say, one of the better concerts I have ever seen in my life.

Friday I go up to Ripon for AXO's formal, and I am stoked!  I am excited to see all of the seestors and have a great time (here's to hoping I don't spend too much money!) The Packers have also been on an incredible winning streak, they are STILL undefeated, and kicked the ass out of the Vikes tonight.  I have had a few good weeks.

Since no post is complete without my ramblings that don't have to do with my real life, here are two great articles about feminism (as you all should know, one of my fave things..hahaha).  Here's an article on rape, which declares that as women we should be "Over it" - never thought I would view rape this way, but very interesting... "Over It" by Eve Ensler.

Also on the reading list, is an article about how Kim Kardashian's wedding is good for women : check it out.

xo
go pack and axo ain't nothing to fuck with,
berta

80 year old cat lady, eatin' cat food

Above: From the "Created Equal" Series, a set of pictures of many "opposite" Americans

So, I haven't posted in a while.  Blame me for being so busy and so uninspired.  I have been doing a lot of cool stuff in school, yesterday I went to a domestic violence training  and learned about talking to children who have experienced violence.  Today, I am going to do a Chinese cooking class in China town and our whole class is going to make dumplings.  Yum!  Tomorrow, I am taking the bus up to Madison and meeting up with Missy  (of Learning to be a Librarian) who is going to pick me up so that we can go to Ripon.  Here's to hoping that this weekend isn't as much of a shit show as the last few times I will be there.  Seriously, how am I supposed to go to school in a place like that?

Also, I have been thinking a lot about "the future" and how fucking scary it is.  Come May, I graduate from college.  Woah.  Those crazy, depressing, lovely, calm, happy and sad four years have already passed.  It is nuts to imagine that I am almost done.  I realized that I have a few fears of the future: being an old cat lady who eats her cat food because she is poor.  Now, I know that this isn't likely and that I am being irrational, but somehow it just seems likely enough that I am terrified.

My first piece of the irrational fear is the ever-lasting female fear of ending up alone.  Now, I know that I can do this thing called life, and I can probably do it way better by myself than with someone else, but for some god forsaken reason I am scared of being 80 and dying in a bed by myself.  Or going to my college reunion and everyone having cute, picket fence families and I will pull out wallet pictures of my cats.   

The second piece of my irrational fears of the future, the whole eating cat food fear started with my Mom, who when I was growing up she told me, "I don't care what the hell you become, Roberta.  Just don't let me eat cat food when I am old."  I guess the first goal I have after leaving college is making sure she doesn't eat cat food, and my second is making sure that I don't eat cat food. I hope that Fancy Feast's Mariner's Catch tastes as a good as it looks. 

To make this blog post less weird, I have some good links for y'all :  

A Progressive in the Age of Austerity by Thomas Friedman - an op-ed about Mayor Rahm-bo

What the fuck has Obama done so far?

Lady with 24 Inch Fingernails Explains How She Wipes Her Butt - not as funny as the title, but still great nonetheless...

Unspoken Rules for Women in the United States

xo

Come Running to Me

...also, Mom comes here soon!  Next post: either an article about the "unspoken rules" for women, or updates from the Chicago trip of the last week or so.  

xo

Mightier Than the Sword

Hey all!

I know, I have been a little slow on updating, but I am honestly so BUSY!  Today, I watched my roommate Emily run the Chicago Marathon, and boy am I proud of her!  This weekend has been really fun, on Friday we had a chill night down the street at our friend Kate, Katie Rose, Mojo and Kirsten's apartment! It was fun, and we did our usual jamming out to Beyonce, and drinking wine.  It was nice.

Last night, I went to the theater that Jared works at, the Annoyance Theater with Kate and Mayo.  We saw the show that they have about Rahm Emanuel's time as mayor, and his personality, and it was hilarious! I had a really great time, and then met up with Lydia for some drinks for her birthday.

The last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about this program, and who it really benefits.  I have had one hell of a time, and have been enjoying myself a lot.  However, even though there isn't much homework, the experience can be exhausting.  We have reached a point in the semester, where some of us would really kill to just go to  class at our respective colleges for one day - even to have the ability to write on a desk instead of our laps, or while walking down the street!

This program as well from my perspective is meant for people that already view things a certain way.  In the Urban Studies program, we constantly talk to people who have very strong opinions on contemporary political and socioeconomic issues.   For instance, last week we had a teacher from the Chicago Teachers Union (?) who came and told us to participate in Occupy Chicago.

I think the ACM program here in Chicago is great for people who already view the world this way, I think for someone who was perhaps of a more conservative bent would maybe find it hard to relate, or agree with many of the things we talk about.  For me, it's really nice to be around people who think like me, as unrealistic as our idealism and hope for the future can be sometimes.

I guess for people who are more conservative, it would just be an experience that really tested their boundaries and beliefs whereas for me, it is reaffirming everything I already think.

Tonight we're going out for drinks for Stephanie's birthday, and hopefully we'll get a chance to watch the Packers and the Brewers! Love.

xo

Things That Will Survive Nuclear Holocaust

- Cockroaches
- Cher
- Chicago Hot Dogs
- Cheney

Jam of the Day

Fear is a friend whose been misunderstood
but I know the heart of life is good

The End of an Era

Today marked the end of the repressive policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell which was a compromise that left no one happy. By chance today, I visited the Hull House which was the headquarters for Jane Addams's groundbreaking work for social justice, immigrant rights, and the improvement of communities. In the mock-up of her former bedroom, there was a poem that she had written to her female companion of over thirty years. It was so beautiful, I thought maybe I should share it!

The “mine” and “thine” of wedded folk
Is often quite confusing
And sometimes when they use the “ours”
It sounds almost amusing.

But – You and I, may well defy
Both married folk and single
To do as well as we have done
The “mine” and “thine” to mingle
(Jane Addams Papers, reel 113.45.1572)

Also, I thought I would share my latest obsession, the Beyonce song "Countdown": 

Maxwell Street Market

On this rainy Sunday morning, I decided that I would head up to the Maxwell Street outdoor market (pictured above) to do walk around, and enjoy the city that I just moved to.  As per usual, it was an adventure not parallel to anything that I would do in Ripon.

I got on the train, and today I decided that I was going to listen to the Sufjan Stevens album "Bring on the Illinoise," I was jamming out and really enjoying the new perspective I have gotten out of one of my favorite albums since moving here.  When I got on to the train car, it smelled of cigarette smoke and once the train started moving I found out why.  There was a man in the back of the train, opening the emergency exit doors who was smoking and drinking.  I was not surprised that someone was smoking, just that they were doing so with the door to the train open while we were travelling!

Then, I got off the train at Roosevelt to take the bus to the market when a man pulled out my headphone from my ear (note how I am already annoyed).  He then starts asking me where I'm from, and then for my number.  This made me wonder how many women actually give men their number this way, because it has to work sometimes otherwise men wouldn't do it.

Then, I made my way to the market and miraculously avoided spending money because the market had everything that you could ever want - from nuts and bolts to bras and panties.  The one thing I spent money on was a taco from a stand which blew my mind.  It was delicious, with homemade tortillas (being made in front of me) and deliciously marinated pork (al pastor).  Great!  I'm going to have to make a trip there again soon to enjoy some more tacos al pastor! 

Multiple Personality Version

if I was crying,
in the van with my friend,
it was for freedom
from myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes

you came to take us,
all things go, all things go
to recreate us
all things grow, all things grow

The Windy City : A Photographic Introduction

I know, it's the second day in a row that I've had two blog posts.  These pictures come from my roommate Kiran, and her lovely camera.  She's been taking such great pictures, and since I don't have a camera (lame, I know!!!) I am using some of her pictures to document my trip so far.  You can catch Kiran at her blog, Shutter Sights.

"Government isn't a business, it should be run for the people!"

Well, today was awesome.  Earlier this week, while in class we were told that the Alderman from the 49th ward of Chicago (Rogers Park) was going to be giving us a tour of City Hall.  I was pretty excited, and thought that it was a good opportunity to further understand the way that the city government works here.  We've heard countless stories, and people all talk about city government and so far we've heard the same thing (not that its bad), "There was a Mayor named Daley for five thousand years and that just changed, and we once had an African American mayor named Harold Washington who was a reformer and broke the Democratic machine after battling the Council Wars."  But today was a different piece of the city of Chicago's story.

Yesterday, one of our professors told us that Alderman Moore had called her earlier in the day, and that it made her nervous.  Then she told us that we were going to have a change of plans.  Well, the change of plans seemed pretty damn good to me - it was going to a Rahm Emanuel press conference in Alderman Joe Moore's ward.  

When we arrived there this morning, Alderman Moore had more to say than Emanuel whose press conference was rather short but, I did get to shake Mayor Emanuel's hand! It might have even been the hand with a partially missing finger!  I was pretty star struck, in the same way that other girls might have been star struck by Justin Timberlake.  I got really embarrassed, my heart fluttered, and I'm pretty sure I blushed.  My hand even tingled for a good fifteen minutes afterward.  I would have to say that this was a good way to start my morning! 

xo

Farming

Today's been an inspirational day, so it's time for the second blog post of the day!  I have decided that I might want to pursue urban farming as a possible profession once I graduate in May.  I am thinking that I want to buy a lot of land somewhere in South Seattle which I will build an eco-friendly cottage home on, and also open up my own urban farm.  This urban farm wouldn't just be for myself, but would also (hopefully) be a center for education on growing organic vegetables.

I would want this place to be a safe space, in which people paid for their classes (and vegetables) on a sliding scale that would reflect their income level.  This farming space would eventually teach members of the community how to grow their own vegetables, as a sustainable way to live while also making food more affordable and tasty! 

I am pretty lucky that this semester I am taking a class in food justice, which will examine parts of my plan...and I am hopefully doing my independent study project on a way to make this dream feasible.  Wish me luck!

Changing the View

This morning, we had our first session of the Independent Study portion of the Chicago program, and we had a guest speaker named Jody Kretzmann who seriously changed my views on the way in which communities and people who are not valued by our society should be viewed and treated.  He was there to introduced Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) which focuses on what a community already has instead of what it is lacking.

While the problems which exist in a community are important to examine and attempt to change, according to Mr. Kretzmann the way to do it isn't by showing a community what is wrong but building up the beneficial parts of the community to tackle fixable problems first. The part of the presentation that killed me (in the best way possible) was when he was describing a meeting that he had with a community member from the South Bronx, long considered one of the "toughest" neighborhoods in our country.  When he had asked her what had happened to her neighborhood to make it so tough, and hard to live in - she said that the worst thing that had happened was that people put her neighborhood in a prison.

This doesn't necessarily mean that the outside world had constructed walls around the South Bronx, but that her neighborhood was being constantly judged by outsiders who did not understand the world that she lived in.  Most of these people wanted to help, but themselves had never visited the neighborhood that they wanted to help.

While the people were trying to do something good by helping her neighborhood, they had no idea what the community members within the South Bronx saw as the largest problems, or the way that the community members would want to improve their community.  The prison in her mind were the ideas and conclusions that people came to when they thought of her neighborhood.

So, today I am going to work on figuring out the times when I have wanted to help someone, but instead put them in a box (or even worse, in a prison).

Live and Help Live

above: a photo taken from a train station on the Brown line with an Obey wall pasting (is that what you would call those?)

So, this is my first posting from the city of Chicago.  So far, things are going well.  I have been going non-stop since I arrived, and am exhausted!  Everyone in my apartment has been passing out before 10 pm because we have been so busy.  It's been crazy!

I arrived on Monday, and moved in to the apartment, and I thought that everything was going too easy until we left for our walking tour of our neighborhood, Hyde Park.  We went to move in one of our roommates named Emily who had arrived late, and we couldn't open the door!  The lock was jammed, and we ended up being locked out of our apartment until 8 pm because the landlord was too busy to come help us out.  That made our day seem even longer, and we all promptly fell asleep after the landlord's son broke our door down.

Yesterday (Tuesday), in the morning we had ice breakers and got to know each other for the first time.  It was a little overwhelming because of the amount of people, but the real fun came in the afternoon.  We all split into groups and got to explore a neighborhood in the city for the first time.  It was really fun, and we toured Albany Park, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the whole United States.  We picked up some kebabs and brought them back for the potluck.

Overall, it's been a good few days (albeit really busy), and there are only more exciting things to come...like Ripon this weekend for Frisbee Golf!
xo

Turn Out the Lights



photo: A famous Seattle billboard that anticipated Boeing leaving the city

As a Seattleite, my whole life I have been surronded by Boeing news.  It seemed (probably incorrectly) that there was always a local news story about the latest Boeing layoff, or the latest union strike.  Boeing is such an integral part of Seattle culture that it used to be a common joke to ask someone when you met them if they work at Microsoft or Boeing.

A week or so ago, Boeing was in the news - this time for a national issue.  Boeing is attempting to build a factory in (open for business!) South Carolina.  It has become controversial, and a partisan issue because the factory in South Carolina would not have union employees who have been "known to strike when contract negociations begin."  There were two op-eds which focused on this issue and have caused quite a stir, "How Democrats Hurt Job Creation," by Joe Nocera and "Removing the Obstacles to Economic Growth," by Eric Cantor.  These two articles attack the president, as well as the National Labor Relations Board for attempting to block the jobs which would be created by having the plants located in South Carolina.  The suggestions of the National Labor Relations Board are to move the plant, and the jobs to Washington.

After feeling a little conflicted about the issue, because I love Boeing and view it is a solely Puget Sound company, Media Matters published a rebuttal on the whole issue that can be found at this link: http://mediamatters.org/research/201108240026 . Check it all out!

In other links for the day, here's a blog post (yet again from SLOG) which Paul Constant explains why he wishes that the President would encite class warfare : "God I Wish the President Declared Class War," by Paul Constant
Also, I am in Milwaukee this weekend visiting friends before I head off to Chicago. 
xo

It's my birthday!

Yay!  Finally, after many years of pretending I was 21...I can officially, legally purchase beer. Wow.  In light of this day, I will leave y'all with a great video of Jimmy Carter (ignore the waving American flag throughout the whole video)...



I also have a blog post in the works about Boeing and the National Labor Relations Board, stay tuned!

This Week

Well, this week I have been really busy and haven't had time to do a blog post.  Nothing much new here, other than the fact that I turn 21 in 9 days, and will be vacationing in Milwaukee for the weekend in 11 days!  I am really excited to see what the next few months are going to be like, but as always I am super nervous.  I am excited to be living in a classic American city, and experiencing independent life as a young girl in the city. I am nervous to be living with a bunch of girls, they all seem nice but it seems like we might have drastically different interests.  Mind you, I have had all kinds of roommates so I hope that it will be okay.  Basically, keep me in your thoughts these next few weeks...haha.

In other things, here is a great written piece from the New York Times by Kelly Thomas where she talks about modern love, called Ready to Take a Faithful Leap.  Check it out, and you won't be dissapointed!

Have a good night, I should get back to doing laundry and listening to This American Life.

edit: I am listening to Eddie Vedder's new album which he made focusing on ukulele music.  So far, it kind of makes my head want to explode - and not in a good way.  We'll see.  Next blog post, I will tell y'all how I felt about it. :)
xo

Cowboys, Indians, Lake Swimming and Copious Amounts of Beer

This weekend, I headed to Eastern Washington with some friends to go to the Omak Stampede!  Ashley has been begging us for years to go, and for one reason or another, it never worked out for me to go.  This year, thankfully I was able to figure out a way to get the hell out of Seattle for the weekend and enjoy some new sights.  

After working ten hours on Friday, I was obviously completely ready to go, and we started on our voyage to Chelan (where Ashley's grandma lives) to camp out for the night.  We set up our tents in the dark, and began drinking some enjoyable "nature" beers.  I stayed up until the sun began to come up - the first time I've done that in years.  The best part about it was that nothing bad happened after 2 AM. ;)

I didn't grasp the amazing view from Ashley's grandmother's house until the next morning, when we woke up to this (props to Meryl for getting such a good picture!) : 

Then after swimming in Lake Chelan for the afternoon, we headed to Omak to get to the Stampede!  At this point, it was about a million degrees outside which made me feel like death warmed over after the lack of sleep from the night before.  It was a pretty nutty experience from the first moment I drove up to the Stampede.  There were all different types of people walking around, and most of them had some kick ass cowboy boots (every single pair, I wanted to steal). 

The rodeo was a hoot, and was really impressive.  Basically, it was the craziest thing I've ever seen to see a guy wrestle a baby bull (thought that was the best way to specify the gender of a calf) after jumping off of a horse.  Wow.  The thing that the Omak Stampede is most famous for, however is a tradition called the Suicide Race.  Basically, some jockeys get on their horses some with saddle, some without and they ride their horse down a hill that has a grade of 62 percent into the Okanogan River.  Wow.  Below is a video from youtube which shows the race:

We had such a good time!

The last thing that I want to put on here today is a link to an editorial by Warren Buffett about the taxation of rich people.  I love Warren Buffett, not only do we share a birthday (which is coming up!), he plays ukulele, drives a town car and has a personality to boot! He also happens to be one of the richest men in America, and the CEO of the very successful Berkshire Hathaway.  Here's the link: Stop Coddling the Rich by Warren Buffett

London Riots

Now, I haven't been keeping up on the London riots too closely, I have been really busy the last few days.  Interestingly enough, I have heard only a few soundbites about it - they are as follows:

1.  Person One: "The Clash talked a lot about rioting in London, didn't they?" Person Two: "Yeah, but anyone comparing the two are giving the recent rioters too much credit.  They don't know anything about the Clash."
2. "Man, shit's really bad in London..isn't it?"
3. "Isn't England using Facebook to identify rioters?"

There was one little bit though that especially caught my eye and it was said today on the Stranger's blog - SLOG by Anthony Hecht was this reaction to the UK saying they were considering shutting down Twitter to prevent large demonstrations:

Huh, seems like only a couple months ago is was all these "repressive regimes" shutting down Twitter during social unrest. I guess now it's just the responsible thing for a beleaguered kind-hearted government to do.

Now the plan is to spend a little more time tomorrow looking into the London Riots.  But in the meantime, I think it's time to jam to some Clash.

image found at the top of the article came from here

EDIT: Sometimes, I am an incoherent mess.  Oops.

Afraid of the Dark

This weekend has been the weekend of errands.  Nothing too exciting to report, other than a nice day at Madison Beach enjoying the sunshine and a few Blue Moons.  We saw some drunk, rich girls get off of some boat that they had just jumped on when some men invited them, and they were all crying and apparently had gotten in a fight which involved throwing corn husks (certainly a crime in Nebraska)!

Here's a photograph of a Madison Beach sunrise, found on Flickr by Asa Bass. [Goodness, how I wish I had a camera!]

My friend Jordan Hill, posted a video (which can be seen below) from the Sagan Series about space travel.  The video is worth watching not only if you're interested in the possibility of "another world", but is worth watching just for the images.  Make sure to turn the resolution up (on youtube) to HD and watch it in fullscreen mode.  Seriously, it's pretty awesome.

Also, lately a concept that I haven't heard covered in the classroom at school has really piqued my interest - the relationship between government entitlements and rural lifestyles.  In Washington state, it is not uncommon to hear people from Eastern Washington get mad about tax money that they feel only gets spent on Seattleites (Safeco Field, the Viaduct, etc.).  Interestingly enough, when you examine the way that the tax money is divided up it is obvious that Eastern Washington receives way more money from Western Washington than the other way around.  The people who live in Eastern Washington are much more likely to vote Republican, which in my head seems to go directly against their interests in government.  On top of all of this, it seems that this might be a nationwide trend.  Unfortunately, I have not found a source which argues the other side of the argument, from a Conservative perspective (if any of the three people that read this blog find one, let me know).

Here are some links talking about this:
Mother Jones: "The Price of Rural Life" by Kevin Drum (an Op-Ed)
Los Angeles Times: "A Lot At Stake for Small-Town America," An Editorial
The Stranger: "Welfare State" by Goldy (an ex-Huff Post writer)
Federal Spending by State Per Dollar of Federal Taxes (2004), A Graph from The Tax Foundation

Tomorrow I am going to the art museum with "camp," a bunch of kids that I used to watch when they were much younger.  I can't wait!
xo.

Be good, be kind, be truthful, and be free: Musings of the Week

Be Good - Hothouse Flowers: I've been jamming on this song ever since it got stuck in my head from playing during work.  Everyone should give it a good listen. I like it so much that I think I might have to buy the record...we'll see.

The Independent: Lost World: Scenes from North Korea's Closed Society: This link leads to a British newspaper's photo collection on North Korea.  These images are perhaps some of the most "candid" that the Western world has been allowed to see, as the North Korean government does not allow many journalists the opportunity to chronicle the lives of their citizens.  Below is a photograph taken by David McNeill that captures downtown Pyongyang:

Los Angeles Times: Unraveling Mexico's Sinaloa Drug Cartel by Richard Marosi : In this article, Richard Marosi explains a bust involving Carlos Cuevas, a drug trafficker from Calexico, California.  It is a beautifully written piece about the nature of smuggling drugs over the U.S.-Mexico border.

"19 Reason's I'm Not A Duggar" - by Mikaela Foster : This link needs no explanation

Oh, and also, I got a twitter (make fun of me if you will!), it's @decibelfurther - so follow me/or whatever the heck you do on twitter.

xo

Vancouver and MTV News circa 1995

Found on SLOG (The Stranger's online blog - check it out at slog.thestranger.com), this video is a seemingly ancient (only from 1995) MTV news segment talking about the internet.  Enjoy!  Also, MTV celebrated its 30th birthday yesterday!  Is anyone else shocked that "Video Killed the Radio Star" which was the first song ever played on MTV is now 30 years old?

In things not on crappy but enjoyable cable television, Audrey and I had a great time in Vancouver.  As you can tell by my previous post about green cards, I lost mine while travelling.  Andie's looking for it, and I sure hope that it still turns up!  Here are some great pictures (also posted on facebook) from our adventures.

Swisher Sweet advertisment from the Tulalip Indian Reservation.  Note woman in the center of the advert really enjoying her cheap, grape cigar.

Andie at the Granville Island Brewery (www.gib.ca), where we intended to take a tour but instead just ordered sampler platters of different microbrews.  Tasty!

Audrey at the restaurant Bridges, right at the end of Granville Island.  They served some delicious tuna sashimi, and some spicy Bloody Marys!

Overall, we had a really great time.  I really appreciated being able to understand Andie's non-stop, busy lifestyle while also meeting her new (and great) friends from film school!   Let's hope that my green card is located so I can go back up before summertime ends! :)

Green Cards and Poverty

Every now and then, I have a freak out about income inequality and poverty in the United States.  Today, my freak out was brought upon by the loss of my green card.  The green card gives me the right to leave and return to America, gain residency, obtain employment and attend school.  I am aware that the ownership of one of these flimsy, plastic cards gives me many privileges but today I am exasperated about it.

I misplaced my card, which you think would be like losing any other ID card (or even a passport).  You would think that I could send in a form to renew the card, probably dial a telephone to report it lost/stolen and then move on with my life. Well, unfortunately to renew the card costs over $400 dollars, and the form to report the card missing or stolen is the same form that requires that you send money to get a new green card.

Now, I am fortunate in many, many ways.  However, I don't have an extra $400 dollars laying around that I can throw at the government to replace my card.  This month I have to renew my car tabs ($75.00), get an oil change ($40 - unless I find someone to do it for me), get an emissions test, pay my car insurance ($500 - luckily already paid), get my car a tune-up (because I think something is wrong with my car).  I have spent almost the whole summer saving up for my semester in Chicago so that I am not dead broke the whole time I am there...and now I have to spend a good chunk of my savings on replacing a plastic card.  How frustrating.

Yet again, I want to reiterate how lucky I am to be fortunate enough to own a car, and have a green card.  However, there are many people within America who are not as fortunate as I am, and it doesn't come from a lack of drive to succeed.  I was thinking today about how a trip to the hospital emergency room can run upwards of $1000, and people who most often have trouble paying for their medical treatments are also poor.  While someone who is wealthier, and can afford insurance (and has it available for cheaper through their jobs) can walk in and pay a small copay, and the great health insurance they have can cover most of the bill.  In this type of situation, the poor always lose.

So, in honor of those frustrated (and affected) by income inequality in America, here's a few good links:
It's the Inequality, Stupid - a set of graphs from the lovely people at Mother Jones magazine
"Shadowy Lines That Still Divide" - an introduction to the Class Matters series from the New York Times
Homepage for the Class Matters Series - New York Times
Class Matters: Where Do You Fit In? - An Interactive Graph on Class
Highlights from Census Data about Poverty in the U.S.
State/County Maps of Percentage of People in Poverty

As you can see, three of those links come from the Class Matters series from the New York Times.  I was fortunately first exposed to this in class by Professor McGowan when we purchased the book version of the series for a unit on class in contemporary America.  It's a great book that everyone should read.  Since I know that people are lazy, and probably won't look up the book, here's a link : Class Matters on Amazon.com

Now, I think I can sleep well.  Good night!
p.s. Vancouver was awesome, a post to come tomorrow about how I had such a great time! :)

  

Vancouver, Fiscal Responsibility and Van

Today, I am heading to Vancouver with Audrey!  We are taking the road trip up to the "True North, strong and free" to visit Andie after she wraps from her latest film project.  Most likely, we will spend the weekend barhopping and enjoying the lovely streets of Vancouver.  The photograph above is from the America side of the Canada-US border in Blaine, Washington.  It's a HUGE sculpture that was commissioned by the government and resembles the billboards that are also in the area.  When you're waiting to cross back into America at some angles the sculpture captures the beauty of Boundary Bay. If you're curious at how beautiful Boundary Bay is, here's an example:

Photograph found on Flickr - "Boundary Bay" by Kristen Wegener

I am really excited to be in Canada, because the three of us are going to have so much fun.  Audrey and I are going to have a few "free" hours before Andie has the ability to leave her film production stuff, so I am thinking that we might do a few really fun things.

First off, we are going to do some shopping (after a pre-shopping cocktail, of course).  The prices in Canada are by no means cheaper, but as all ladies can attest shopping in a different city is really fun because the merchandise can be really different!  Wish me luck on finding some new stuff to wear! I think also, I am going to see if Audrey wants to go on a tour of the Granville Island Brewery.  Tours happen three times daily, it costs $9.75 and you get three delicious samples!

If it's nice out, I kind of want to head down to Stanley Park and check out the Totem Poles and sit in the sunshine.  Maybe we'll have a dinner picnic! Here's another picture I found on Flickr of Stanley Park by David Chung:

I am really excited to see what this weekend brings!  I am really excited to have some time with two of my best friends in the world. :)

In other news, here is an infographic that popped up on my Facebook news feed today, which compares the government spending between the Bush administration and the Obama administration.  Essentially, this graph blows the fallacy out of the water that Republicans are "fiscally responsible" and "run the government like a business."

One last thing to add to this ridiculously long blog post: Van Morrison's "Sweet Thing"

"This Is Where I Leave You" by Jonathan Tropper

A few weeks ago, I was skyping with Patty and she told me that I should really look up this book that she just read.  She said that she really liked it, and thought that maybe Hannah (we were also skyping with her) and I would really enjoy it.  Well, she was right.

The book, written by Jonathan Tropper is hilraious and also has some of the most realistic, and funny characters that I have read in a long time.  The book centers around the story of Judd Foxman, a man who has discovered that his wife has been having a year-long affair with his boss.  This life-changing moment results in Judd becoming jobless, living in a stingy basement, all while simultaneously hating his life. When his father dies, the family returns to their childhood home to sit Shiva which is a Jewish mourning tradition where the family must stay put in their house for seven days while the rest of the community comforts them with food and abundant visits. The kicker, Judd's dad was an atheist.

The book takes place during those seven days, while Judd is attempting to deal with the shambles that have been left behind from his former life. The book is very easy to read while also being well written (a combination that is hard to find these days).  I really enjoyed this book, and if anyone is compelled to pick up this book...I'm sure you will enjoy it too! :)

I wish I could ignore John Boehner

Here are two reasons that I wish I could ignore John Boehner:

1. YOU ARE A PART OF "WASHINGTON", you're in the House for Christ's sake. Not only are you a representative for the House, you are the Speaker of the House! Funny how a man who talks so much crap on the people in Washington who are supposedly responsible for this political clusterfuck (which to him apparently is obviously not the Republican party), gave his speech at the Capitol.
2. He only talks about politics in a way in which is similar to pop-psychology.  Quit using cliche phrases, and learn how to speak in public (perhaps take a cue from President Obama).

In other news, Oslo has had an awful terrorist attack, famine is being declared in Somalia (and a severe food shortage is happening elsewhere in Africa), and Amy Winehouse is dead.

The only thing that has made me happy today (other than a lovely weekend in Portland with Jenna and Hannah) is this version of Queen's "Somebody to Love" in which George Michael is singing lead for Queen.  This was for Freddie Mercury's tribute concert at Wembly Stadium in London.  Here it is:

Christopher Walken Reads "Three Little Piggies"

In light of this awesome video of Christopher Walken reading "Three Little Piggies," I am going to write about my night yesterday.  So, every year my ex-boss (who is wonderful and great!) has a camp for the kids that used to go to the daycare when I worked there regularly, and this year she asked me to work the last day of camp this week which was a sleepover at Camp Long. We had SO much fun, and it was so nice to see all of the kids again.

Other than that, I am enjoying the rainy in July weather that Seattle has provided recently, and am using it to my full advantage to catch up on laundry. :)

Crafty Sunday

Hey! For the very, very few readers out there - I would like to report that tomorrow, I am going to spend all day crafting. Today, I spent the whole day reorganizing, cleaning and rearranging my room. It took a lot of energy, but I have really enjoyed the subtle changes to my room!

Earlier tonight, I spent the night looking for posters online. This sounds a lot easier than it really was. It was initially so frustrating that I even made a facebook status about it, which reads: "Purchasing nice posters for the walls in my room is harder than you'd think. I don't want a Keep Calm and Carry On poster, nor do I want a poster with two half naked women kissing, and again I don't want the rules to beer pong on my wall. Is there some kind of something that is better than that? Oh, and I forgot. I don't want a life size poster of Justin Beiber either."  I think you understand my problem.  Well, a friend of mine commented on it and made me aware that I can turn pictures of mine into posters if I'm not digging what the online poster retailer is offering.  So, now I need to take a pretty picture.  

After searching for posters for what seemed like an eternity, I thought that maybe I could head over to Pintrest and check out what's going on there to see if there was anything pretty and cheap I could put on my walls.  Even though I didn't see anything, there were these super cute stackable DIY bracelets that also looked super easy to make.  Downstairs in my basement, I have some jewelry making supplies - so I might check that out tomorrow as well.

I hope everyone else (or the one and a half people who read this) have a good Sunday!

Michael Jackson and Mr. T

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about situations in which a person's true character is shown.  I decided that there are three times when a person's true nature is ultimately revealed : when they are with their mother, when they are sick and when they have a crappy or rude server at a restaurant.

In another lifetime

...this would have been my theme song. :)

My New Favorite Song. Period.

I know that I already posted today, but this one is killing me too much to NOT share.  So here's Beyonce with "Love On Top" from her latest record, 4.

edit: Unfortunately, youtube only has a snippet version.  Check it out on grooveshark.  It will rock your socks off.

What Scott Walker's Battle Against Unions Really means

Here is an article from Mother Jones which examines why Scott Walker attacked the public sector unions in Wisconsin, the author from this article says that he was not fighting politics on a primary level (ideology), but that he was playing the game on a secondary level which attacked the donors of the opposing party.  A super interesting read about the game of politics and the Republican party: What the Union Fight is Really About: Defunding the Left

The Nature of Rules

"The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules.  It's the people that follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages." - Banksy

Music and Your Parents

I really love this infographic (which was originally found here).  The music that my parents listened to when I was growing up has turned into some of my favorite music, and I don't regularly listen to any music that was recorded pre-1979.  So, I found this funny.  Enjoy!

Honor the Treaties

I was driving around West Seattle the other day, and I noticed a series of posters that have been put up on 35th and Avalon.  They were Native American pride posters that were beautiful. I was really curious about whether or not these were from a local artist, or maybe they were a part of a nationwide poster "bomb."  Anyways, when  I looked it all up it turned out that there was an interesting story behind these posters as well.  Below is a "TED" talk on the photographer, Aaron Huey.  He spent five years visiting with the Lakota Nation on their reservation and taking photographs of their lives and the land that they live on.  Huey reminds us that the history of Native Americans is the result of the white man's cruelty which resulted in colonization, forced migration and the systematic destruction of indigenous culture (and population) in the United States.  I really encourage anyone reading this to watch this video, it is eye opening to the problems which still occur on Native American reservations everyday.

edit: Unfortunately, the embed process on this video didn't work on blogger (because it's not a youtube video).  So, here is the link to see the TED video on Aaron Huey's project: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/eng//id/1004

At the end of his time taking pictures of the destruction and poverty of the Native American reservations of the Lakota people, Aaron Huey realized that it would not give justice to put out an installation of photographs, or to write another art book about his time on the Black Hills.  Instead, he got together a few illustrators, including Shepard Fairey (of Obama's hope image, and OBEY) and put together some posters which were to be put all over the nation.  These posters were the ones that I saw by the bus stop of 35th and Avalon, in Seattle - below are the posters.

"We Are Still Here", By Shepard Fairey

"We Belong to the Land! The Land Does Not Belong to Us.", by Ernesto Yerena

"Honor the Treaties", by Ernesto Yerena


These ideas made me think about how the history of the past, while it seems so far away (especially in regards to Native American policy in the United States) that often mistakes can be corrected, and the people who need our help the most can be helped. These "collaborative illustrations" are fascinating because they remind us that we have the power to change what we do not wish to see in the world any longer.

Conservatism in America

...have they lost touch with reality?  In this article that I read today (courtesy of Nick Parulski posting it on Bill Sitter's facebook wall) by Fareed Zakaria, he explains his views of the conservative members of our government, and the interesting decisions they make, and the dumbfounding policies they attempt to support.


The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine who was saying that he feels that being Republican "used to be a respectable thing to do, when they fought for real American values, but as of late the party has become an embarrassment."  From our conversation, I got the impression that perhaps if he felt that Republicans weren't so out of the loop, that perhaps he might have become a Republican.


Interestingly enough, Zakaria implies that the best conservative policies (and the ones of the past) are based on reality, but that the policies that result in the government being "cut and starve[d]" do not find roots in reality, but in philosophy.  In this article, he explains that the best thing about conservatism was that it was rooted in reality, unlike idealistic philosophies like Marxism. The new conservatism has become a " a strategy that pays little attention to history or best practices from around the world and is based instead on a theory."


Here's the link: How Today's Conservatism Has Lost Touch with Reality, By Fareed Zakaria

Riots in Vancouver after the Stanley Cup Finals Ended

Forgiveness

Now I know that forgiveness is really important, and that perhaps it is the best skill that a person can have.  I have never struggled with forgiveness unless it fits the two following conditions: the person refuses (or cannot, or maybe is in denial) to talk with me about the problem that I have with them, and when I feel as though there has been a lack of respect in the way that the problem has been dealt with.  When these two conditions exist, for me forgiveness is impossible.  I want to change that though, but my own stubbornness is harder to change - think it's easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk.

I have to talk through a problem to figure it out, and can't do it any other way.  When the person is not unable to listen (for whatever reason), I have to talk to someone about it.  Unfortunately, this another downfall of the way that I experience problems.  Anger, and talking about issues does not hurt the other person - it only hurts me.

My goal for the next few months while I am home is to forgive some people, and to remember the beneficial experiences I had with those people, and the learning experiences that I have taken away from these relationships.  I want to learn from past experiences, and change the way that I view future experiences.

In other things that aren't mushy gushy self-help forgiveness emotional bullshit, National Geographic wrote an article on the lives of child brides, along with a photo-essay.  Here's the link : Child Brides. 

Above is a photograph of a five-year-old girl on her wedding day. Photo by Stephanie Sinclair.

Well, over the next few days take the following quote to heart : "There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love." - Bryant H. McGill

Fantasy Nation: It's Not the Nation You Expect

Our Fantasy Nation? by Nicholas Kristof

This editorial examines the "fantasy nation" for American Republicans. Kristof explains,

It has among the lowest tax burdens of any major country: fewer than 2 percent of the people pay any taxes. Government is limited, so that burdensome regulations never kill jobs.

This society embraces traditional religious values and a conservative sensibility. Nobody minds school prayer, same-sex marriage isn’t imaginable, and criminals are never coddled.

The budget priority is a strong military, the nation’s most respected institution. When generals decide on a policy for, say, Afghanistan, politicians defer to them. Citizens are deeply patriotic, and nobody burns flags.

The country that he's talking about in this editorial? Pakistan. He admits that it is very unlikely that Republicans are attempting to recreate the government of Pakistan here in America, his editorial seeks to explain how the policies which Republicans want to enact are harmful. Everyone should read it. :)

Somebody That I Used to Know

...being somebody that I used to know doesn't mean that I don't miss you.

Ignore Gender Stereotypes! :)

Weinergate

So, I am completely over Rep. Weiner's twitter issues.  Let's be real, he probably was intending to send that photograph to that girl in Seattle, and it just got out on his public twitter.  Oops. Pretty embarrassing.  More embarrassing is that the media have given SO much time to this story, and to Andrew Breitbart.  Breitbart is a part of the new Tea Party media, and called Ted Kennedy a "prick" within hours of his death.  While Ted Kennedy probably left a bit of a mixed reputation after death (especially because of that infamous car accident), calling a Kennedy a prick within hours of his death probably means that you shouldn't be given too much time on CNN.

I'm glad that the media continually attempts to distract us from the real problems that our country faces - like war, poverty, and a slow economy.  Let's stop worrying about a Representative's underwear, and start worrying about real problems.

....also, the Canucks won the first game in the Stanley Cup finals, scoring like twenty seconds before the game ended.  I would say, that it's gonna be a long series!

Books, and Bob

I know that Bob Marley is considered "over played."  I know that everyone has heard his songs five billion times.  But that wasn't Bob Marley's fault, and his music still sometimes really hits the spot.  Today, when I was driving down by the beach in my car, looking at the beautiful sunset, a really good Bob Marley song came on the radio.  It was "Waiting in Vain", a song about how he could no longer wait for a woman to love him in return.   That's not the part of the song that I rocked out to the most, it was the line, "In life I know there's lots of grief, but your love is my relief."  You get the idea.

I then went to the bookstore, and spent way too much money.  I haven't read things that weren't for school in eons, so I got a little too excited.  Well, I bought the following books:

- The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair - a book which examines the meatpacking district in Chicago, the book had a huge, profound social effect on the meat industry which resulted in President Teddy Roosevelt endorsing the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Laws.  This book illuminates the gross side of capitalism, so it should be an interesting read.

- Vintage Hughes, a Collection of poetry by Langston Hughes

- Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu - A classic Chinese philosophy book which explains the spiritual side of Daoism.

- My Bondage, and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass

- When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris - I haven't even looked at the back of this book yet because David Sedaris is my favorite author, and I am more than excited to read it - no matter the subject!


Also, here's a funny Onion article to get the night started off right : Study: All American Problems Could Be Solved by Stopping and Thinking For Two Seconds

Nothing that I would expect.  I love the woman listening to Frank Sinatra!

Guide to Illegal Drugs

Need I say more?

iPad games for cats...

Purina Friskees' Game for Cats on the iPad

...What has this world come to?

On more vapid things...

I was just flipping channels on my TV at home, when the Real Housewives of Orange County came on.  These women are bickering over how one of their friends is at the hospital during another woman's fashion debut.  They are actually fighting about whether or not the woman in the hospital is doing this all "on purpose" and "to make a scene" at an event that she isn't attending to bring the attention to the woman in the hospital.

This is why I can't watch reality television.  These women's souls are about as non-existent as their real boobs.

EDITED : Right before I flipped channels, the woman was attempting to defend herself by saying, "this show is about reality, and about being real, and telling the truth."  Sometimes, heinous women say stuff like, "I only tell the truth, but it might hurt." - and guess what?  It's only a cover up for being a bitch.

Mexican Poet Gives Speech on Narcoterrorism

Mexican poet Javier Sicilia gave a speech at the Zocolo (town square) in Mexico City on a topic that has become synonymous with Mexican politics - drug cartels and corruption.  There was a march on May 8th that Mexicans used to express how they really feel about their country, that it needs to be saved from the thugs and corruption that has plagued their lives for years.  Recently, the violence has gotten a lot worse and a lot of Mexicans feel helpless to stop it.  Americans should care about this issue because of the human lives that have been lost (first of all), but also should care because it is an issue of American national security.  With so much crime and destabilization south of the border, it is hard to ignore the impacts that this could have within our own borders.


Unfortunately, Mexicans sometimes feel that Americans make their problems a lot worse.  The market for drugs in America is one of the biggest problems - where millions support the terrorism indirectly by purchasing illegal drugs.  I once heard somewhere that marijuana sells for more money per ounce than gold...and when criminals and law enforcement (as well as customs agents) agree on a policy, there should be more questions about the validity of the policy.


That being said, this silent march that occurred on May 8th is an inspiring example of how when people can come together, that there is a possibility for change.  Unfortunately, there has not been that much publicity given to the Mexican citizens that do not support the drug cartels, and Mexicans are facing a new type of revolution within their own country.


Javier Sicilia says in his speech that, "Our Mexico, our house, is shrouded in greatness, but there are also cracks and abysses that expand into the carelessness, complacency and complicity that have driven us to this hideous devastation."  His speech is a testament to inspiring political rhetoric that perhaps could lead to a change in policy, and make others aware of the diversity in opinion of Mexican citizens.  


The speech that Javier Sicilia gave at the Zocolo can be found here: Sicilia's Speech in Mexico City on the Drug Wars in Mexico
Also, here is the Washington Post photoessay on the protest: Photographs of the Silent March from Cuernavaca

Regarding the Rapture on Saturday

I Fucking Hope the Rapture Happens On Saturday, by Paul Constant

Hilarious blog post about how if the Rapture happened on Saturday, the world would be a better place.

The Reagan Revolution

This is the first in a series that was financed by Mike Huckabee, long considered one of the most conservative potential presidential candidates.  His goal is to create videos marketed to children to teach them about "monumental" moments in American history.  This video is completely inaccurate because it fails to address the climate of domestic and global politics that Ronald Reagan entered when he became president (save a reference to an awful Washington D.C.), and the falling of the Berlin Wall was not created by Ronald Reagan but was a complex event that had many factors including the USSR's inability to keep their country stable after being at war for almost ten years. Also, on the issue of those hostages, the Iranians who held the Americans purposefully released them after Carter no longer had a chance to take credit for their release, that wasn't crafted by Reagan but was merely an accidental gain for his presidency. History doesn't serve an agenda, that's called propaganda. :)

Here's an article by the educational organization Teaching Tolerance on this issue: http://www.tolerance.org/blog/meet-mike-hucksterbee?newsletter=TT051711